Pazham pori recipe: pazham pori or ethakka appam is a Kerala snack where ripe banana slices are dipped in a flour batter and deep fried to get a crispy coating with softly cooked banana inside.
Pazham pori, ethakka appam, banana fritters, whatever it is called holds a special place in the cuisine of Kerala. It’s a quintessential Malayali snack and you get to buy it in every restaurant, roadside snack cart, train, hostel canteen, college cafe, etc! For making the perfect Pazham Pori, you need very ripe bananas (more on the banana used for pazham pori below) as this could really make or break the taste of your pazham pori.
Yes, it’s deep fried, yes, it’s coated in all purpose flour, but Pazham Pori is worth it and I want you to take my word on this.
If you love easy snack recipes, then do check out ulli vada, parippu vada, and this ghee fried banana recipe.
The bananas used for Ethakka Appam is Ethappazham (the raw version of which, Ethakka, is used to make the famous Kerala banana chips!). It won’t taste the same or as good if you use any other kind of banana. Its also called Nenthram Pazham but I can’t seem to find a more representative English translation for Nenthram pazham except plaintain.
- 1 Ethapazham / Nenthram pazham / Ripe plaintain (the riper and blacker the skin, the better)
- 1 cup all purpose flour or maida
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of turmeric powder
- About ¾ cup water (more or less)
- Coconut oil to deep fry
- Place the flour in a wide bowl.
- Add sugar, salt and baking soda. I used brown sugar but white sugar works perfect too.
- Add about ½ cup water and adjust as you go, to make a batter that's slightly more watery than dosa batter. It shouldn't be too thin, otherwise, the appams will be too oily.
- Add in a pinch of turmeric powder. This is only meant for the colour bit and doesn't change the taste or flavour in any way.
- Some people add jeera to ethakka appam. I personally don't like biting into them but feel free to add it in if you want.
- Cut the plaintain into half and then slice each half midway vertically. Further slice each of the quarters into 2-3 thin pieces. Dunk these into the batter.
- Heat the coconut oil until its all bubbly. You have to use coconut oil for the authentic taste. Anything else is a blasphemy so don't tell me if you used vegetable oil or *shudder* olive oil.
- I used a super small kadai so that I need only very little oil and that reduces wastage.
- When the oil is just short of smoking hot, add in the banana pieces coated with the batter.
- Fry until golden brown and drain on paper napkins.
- Serve Pazham Pori hot with tea.
Step by Step Pazham Pori Recipe:
1. Place the flour in a wide bowl.
2. Add sugar, salt and baking soda. I used brown sugar but white sugar works perfect too.
3. Add about 1/2 cup water and adjust as you go, to make a batter that’s slightly more watery than dosa batter. It shouldn’t be too thin, otherwise, the appams will be too oily.
4. Add in a pinch of turmeric powder. This is only meant for the colour bit and doesn’t change the taste or flavour in any way.
Some people add jeera to ethakka appam. I personally don’t like biting into them but feel free to add it in if you want.
5. Cut the plaintain into half and then slice each half midway vertically. Further slice each of the quarters into 2-3 thin pieces. Dunk these into the batter.
6. Heat the coconut oil until its all bubbly. You have to use coconut oil for the authentic taste. Anything else is a blasphemy so don’t tell me if you used vegetable oil or *shudder* olive oil.
I used a super small kadai so that I need only very little oil and that reduces wastage.
7. When the oil is just short of smoking hot, add in the banana pieces coated with the batter.
8. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper napkins.
9. Serve hot Pazham Pori with tea.
The pazham pori get soggy and the coating gets chewy and soft once cold so it is best served warm. But when I was a kid, I used to wait till it got cold and chewy 🙂
For pazham pori recipe in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu, please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
There is a spelling mistake in the sentence below the first pic. "Deep Friend" instead of deep fried…
oops! corrected now. thanks.
very good blog,
This website makes it easy to make Keralean recipes. Thanks for not putting nos. and actually putting the precise measurements. It helps me to understand when it's precise measurements for someone who don't cook much.
Its so sweet of you to cook Kerala food for your husband and family, Amanda. Very glad my Kerala recipes help! Will try to post step by step pics as much as possible!
I just married a Malayalee, and haven't had a clue on ANY Indian cooking. Though he isn't much of a Kerala-cuisine person… I am! and so is his family (obviously). Thanks to your blog, my life has been easier. I'm eternally grateful for the step-by-step recipes! You're a lifesaver! 🙂
that's exactly what i used so YES 🙂
can i use parachute coconut oil???????
Thanks so much!!! 🙂
Same pinch.. I too make these in the same manner. Exact recipe dear. Photos look too good.
sounds new to me…
I love these chips a lot….
fritters looks gr8 🙂
One question…I'm in Joburg and how will i identify nenthra palam?
Oolala…i had these in one of mallu friend's house.When asked she didn't know the recipe as it was made by mil. I was searching for this but exactly didn't know what it was called. Simply lip smacking.
Or the other way around, not sure. I have tried Goreng Pisang and really like it too 🙂
now this must be where goreng pisang is adapted from
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Worth indulging in!! Love the last picture.
Ardra, those are actually great quesitons, not stupid at all 🙂
The soda helps to add crispiness to the appam. You don't have to keep the batter aside for a while because we are deep drying it so the heat will activate the magic of the soda. It also means once the appams get cold, they get soft.
Rice powder (or wheat, although haven't tried that), serves a similar purpose. It makes the coating crisper. I usually use soda for this purpose but you can try adding 1tbsp of rice powder to the ethakka appam batter too.
i want to goto kerala..travel by the train..got to buy the oil dripping ethakka appam..( who cares for the hygiene)awesome nags
This is my all time favourite snack and the only thing I badly miss when I am in Hyderabad. And because I know I will miss it, I usually eat upto 6 of them in Sabari. 😀
Coming to the point, pardon the stupidity of a novice, what purpose does baking soda serve in this? Fluffiness? But for that to work, shouldn't the batter be left alone for some time?
Another doubt – will arippodi/gothambupodi addition (in small quantity) make ethakkappam better or worse?
Our all time family fav..yummyyyy
That is yum, I have had plantain fritters but never banana ones, so a lovely new snack 🙂
You now prove to be a sinner…and I'll take your own word for it! Sinful indulgence…but I know that back in Kerala people just eat a few of these everyday with chaaya…no indulgence there – just routine! LOL
Mouthwatering recipe, love pazham pori:)
I had this one 'chechi' near college who would make these…perfect !
Never had this..looks very tempting nags
i know this tastes awesome..had it at a keralite friend's place..looks so good..
One of my favourite snacks…..I add a little Jeerakom also in the batter…
Pazham pori is one of my favourite snacks. Love the pic of it bubbling in hot oil.
Looks crisp and mouthwaterin…..
Kids are going to love this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Wow…Nags…so mouthwatery…just love to grab one.
@Wendy – HAHAHAHA 😀 same here!
I like them chewy too! Mind you I also like them crisp – let's just say that I like them, eh?
fritters looks yum…i m droooooooooooooooooling dear…….